ACTION ALERT!
By Marie Mulroy, Past NHPHA President 
 
In an effort to raise awareness on the need to come to a compromise on New Hampshire's budget impasse, New Hampshire Public Health Association along with several of our partners are getting together on  July 29th at 9:00 to let the Joint Fiscal Committee know that we are concerned that the State is still without a budget.  If you are interested in helping out on Wednesday, just let Deanna Bennett know at [email protected],  Below are some details courtesy of New Hampshire Citizens Alliance (NHCA):
  • 9:00 - Meet and make signs at NHCA office at 4 Park Street, Concord, Suite 304
  • 9:30 - Visibility outside and inside the Legislative Office Building (behind the State House) Rooms 210 and 211
  • 10:00 - Attend Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee, let them know we are paying attention
Hope to see you there!

With regard to the budget, here is the latest:

On Thursday, July 22nd, Governor Hassan proposed some concessions on the issue of business taxes.   According to the Concord Monitor, "She said she'd agree to lower the Business Profits Tax to 7.9 percent for 2016, but would raise the level at which someone would have to file for and pay the Business Enterprise Tax.  In her new proposal, she suggests raising the cigarette tax by 21 cents and the state's motor vehicle registration fee by $5."

 

Medicaid Expansion is still a priority for inclusion in this budget; however, in her compromise offer, the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (aka Medicaid Expansion) doesn't include funding for its renewal past its sunset date at the end of 2016.  Instead, the Governor's plan would add $300,000 for data collection and related staffing to address lingering questions from legislators about how well the program is working.   This is a concern for us.

 

Other major inclusions that we are following in the governor's compromise proposal are funding the state employees' contract and additional funding for substance abuse.   For a full text of Governor's Hassan's Budget Compromise Plan, click here.

 

We will continue to send alerts on the progress of the 2016-2017 budgets and look forward to seeing you at the Legislative Office Building on Wednesday, the 29th of July.